Svenja Schulze, Minister for Science, visited the “Mobile – mobil im Leben” project at CeBIT 2015 at the North Rhine-Westphalia joint stand run by the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Kleve/Kamp-Lintfort, 19 March 2015: The aim of the ‘Mobile – mobil im Leben’ project is to ensure that people with cognitive or physical impairments can also use local public transport without any problems. However, until now there has been no user-friendly mobile ‘navigator’ to provide journey information and thus give users peace of mind. This is what the system newly developed as part of the project offers. For example, it helps users identify the correct stops and vehicles and alerts them when to board and alight. The research and development results already achieved by the ‘Mobile’ project are being presented by Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences and the other project partners at the North Rhine-Westphalia joint stand until 20 March 2015 in Hall 9 at Stand D24.
There, a bus and a bus stop, fitted with the system components, will be demonstrated, alongside specialised user interfaces for route planning and navigation, localisation using optical markers, Bluetooth beacons, NFC and RFID, as well as prototypes of wearable devices.
“Thanks to its extensive scope for individual customisation, the system makes an important contribution to the inclusion of people with a wide variety of disabilities. Users can use the system to travel safely and independently on local public transport, thereby effectively overcoming existing barriers,” says the project’s scientific lead, Professor Christian Ressel from Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences.
The system is particularly easy and intuitive to use. Furthermore, navigation will be possible without the need for reading skills. The project focuses on the design of suitable user interfaces for people with cognitive impairments, as well as support through avatar technology and augmented reality. The research also covers technical solutions for navigating and locating people, identifying vehicles and stops, interfaces for integrating real-time information, and the development of the overall system architecture.
Visitors showed great interest in the gadgets and demonstrators on display during the first few days of the trade fair. Many interesting discussions yielded helpful suggestions regarding the system’s use and further areas of application.
In addition to Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, the project involves the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, the transport operator SWK mobil GmbH in Krefeld, moBiel GmbH in Bielefeld, Bethel.regional, acting on behalf of the v. Bodelschwingh Bethel Foundations in Bielefeld as a facility for people with disabilities, and the healthcare provider salvea/inoges AG in Krefeld.
Contact:
Project Mobile – mobility in everyday life – Hall 9, Stand D24,
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Ressel – scientific project lead
Tel. +49 (0) 2842 90825-241
christian.ressel@hochschule-rhein-waal.de
